50 Ways the Government Works for Us

At-Risk Services are Noted - Watch for Updates as DOGE Continues Its Cuts 

1. At-Risk:  Social Security payments help 51 million Americans.  The Social Security Administration has announced it will cut 7,000 jobs (Lopez & McLaughlin, 2025).
2. At Risk: College loan programs help millions who might otherwise not be able to afford higher education.  The Department of Education terminated 50 employees and cuts nearly $900 million in federal contracts (Campbell, 2025).
3. U.S. Postal Service inspection programs help prevent mail fraud. 
4. At-Risk: Social Security disability provides benefits if you become too disabled to work. The Social Security Administration has announced it will cut 7,000 jobs (Lopez & McLaughlin, 2025).
5. Medicare provides government health care for seniors.
6. Food stamps protect families facing hardship by helping them buy the food they need for good health.
7. Organic foods are certified by U.S. Department of Agriculture standards.
8. OSHA regulations and inspections protect America's workforce by limiting exposure to toxic chemicals.
9. The federal minimum wage law makes sure every covered worker gets paid a basic wage.
10. The Family and Medical Leave Act provides the right to take time off from work to care for a sick child or parent without losing your job.
11. The National Archives is the nation's record keeper, overseeing the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights.
12. At-Risk: The Department of the Interior protects our national parks for the enjoyment of all Americans. The Department of the Interior terminated 2,300 employees (Frazin, 2025).
13. At-Risk: Bank regulations limit your loss to $50 if someone steals money from your account with your ATM card.  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has fired 73 employees and has been ordered to stop nearly all work (Wamsley, 2025).
14. Copyright and patent laws protect an invention or creative work from being stolen.
15. Child-resistant packaging rules reduce poisonings from medicine and household cleaners.
16. At-Risk: Public education is available to every child.  The Department of Education terminates 39 employees, cuts nearly $900 million from the Institute of Education Services, and cuts 169 contracts (Reinstein, 2025).
17. The U.S. Mint prints currency and manufactures coin.
18. Inspection of meat, dairy and food protects against contamination and disease.
19. At-Risk Truth in Lending laws discourage rip-offs by credit card companies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has fired 73 employees and has been ordered to stop nearly all work (Wamsley, 2025).
20. School lunch regulations mandate nutritious meals.
21. At-Risk: Enforcement of the federal Clean Air Act guarantees commitment toward providing safer air to breathe. The EPA fired 388 probationary employees and placed an additional 171 employees on administrative leave (Reinstein, 2025).
22. Federal dams provide electrical power, flood control and irrigation.
23. Federal deposit insurance protects bank accounts.
24. Construction and maintenance of interstate highways link the country.
25. The government provides assistance to artists and musicians to help develop and preserve American culture.
26. Military doctors eliminated disease like typhoid and yellow fever.
27. Regulations prevent the sale of alcohol and tobacco to minors.
28. At-Risk: The U.S. Weather Service provides storm and hurricane warnings. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fired 1,300 employees (Borenstein, 2025).
29. Federal law prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of age, race, gender, color, national origin, religion, childbirth or disability.
30. At-Risk: The Federal Housing Authority helps Americans become homeowners.  Housing and Urban Development, the agency which includes the Federal Housing Authority, has been ordered to lay off 4,300 employees (Roche, 2025).
31. Consulates and embassies help U.S. citizens traveling abroad.
32. At-Risk: FEMA provides support for victims of hurricanes, floods or other disasters.  More than 200 FEMA employees were terminated (Sommer & Inskeep, 2025).
33. At-Risk:  The National Park Service maintains several thousand miles of trail for park visitors. Approximately 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees were terminated.
34. At-Risk: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers helps maintain the nation's ports, harbors and navigation channels.  Approximately 2,000 probationary employees at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been targeted for termination (Weaver, 2025).
35. At-Risk: Veterans receive education assistance through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill.  Department of Veterans Affairs dismissed 1,000 employees (Veterans Affairs Press Room, 2025).
36. At-Risk: Each year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves new medicines.  Probationary employees at the FDA were terminated.
37. The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections, which are made available to the public.
38. At-Risk: Public water systems provide safe drinking water based on standards set by the EPA.  The EPA fired 388 probationary employees (Brownstein & Newsham, 2025).
39. At-Risk: The Transportation Security Administration monitors the 39 billion tons of cargo that are transported annually by passenger and freight carriers.  The TSA fired 243 probationary employees (Garrison, 2025).
40. At-Risk: Thanks to the Federal Aviation Administration the United States' air traffic control system is the safest in the world.  The FAA fired 400 employees (Copp, 2025).
41. At-Risk:  Universities receive 60 percent of all research funding from federal agencies.  The National Institutes of Health slashed indirect cost rates associated with grant funding, capping the rate at 15% (Wosen, et al., 2025).
42. At-Risk: The Small Business Administration helps Americans start, grow and build businesses. The SBA terminated 720 employees (Garrison, 2025).
43. The Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services and telecommunications.
44. At-Risk: Veterans Affairs' facilities treat millions of Americans each year. The VA terminated more than 1,000 employees (Veterans Affairs Press Room, 2025).
45. Customs and Border Patrol agents protect our borders every day.
46. At-Risk: Scientists at the National Institutes of Health sequenced the human genome, which set a new course for developing ways to diagnose and treat diseases like cancer, Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease. 1,165 employees terminated at the National Institutes of Health (Hagland, 2025).
47. Labor laws guarantee you cannot be prematurely replaced if you strike over unfair labor practices.
48. At-Risk: The National Cancer Institute has made many discoveries in the treatment of the disease.  1,165 employees terminated at the National Institutes of Health, of which the National Cancer Institute is a component. (Hagland, 2025).
49. Economic statistics-keeping helps track inflation.
50. The "Do Not Call" Registry makes it easier for consumers to stop getting telemarketing calls that they don't want.
     

(US Securities and Exchange Commission, n.d.)